Inder Jit Lall – a man of versatility

Inder Jit Lall – a man of versatility

Inder Jit Lall was a biographer, literary critic, science populariser, translator and essayist who authored more than twenty five books in Urdu, Hindi, English and Punjabi. The books varied on different topics ranging from literature, fine arts, biography, popular science and essays. Though he started writing for small Urdu newspaper and a few ghazals in his early school days with pen name ‘Inder Jit Gohar’. He was born on 21 October 1926, studied and brought up in Murree Hills now Islamabad (Pakistan). No doubt hailing from business family of  Commission Agents having his ancestral shop on the Mall Road, Murree, had least interest in the business.

In 1947, during partition he migrated to Delhi with his grandfather, Jagan Nath with huge cash  they brought with them in their vests. Sensing the condition of India Pakistan, his grandfather bought a well ultra modern  house of the then Delhi mayor in Tilak Bazar, Khari Baoli, Delhi in an open Income Tax auction in 1948. Jagan Nath always  treating Inder Jit as his son and sensing his brilliance wanted to be in business with him which he started from Tilak Bazar from  the then newly  purchased commercial property. But Lall was only interested in writings.

Inder Jit Lall completed his post graduation in English as well as Urdu besides journalism diploma from then the Camp College (now-a-days known as Dayal Singh College) after his marriage. The studies  brought him too close to introduce Urdu literature in English world and English literature to Urdu lovers.

Very few writers in Urdu have been successful in different disciplines and it is possible only in the case where one is intrinsically versatile. This is the case with Inder Jit Lall who has been practicing in a variety of spheres such as literature, popular science, essay, short story, journalism, broadcasting and he has been meritorious in almost all fields he treaded.

Particularly in popular science which has been a virgin soil for one and all, Lall’s pen has proved magical to the extent. He tried to convince the Urdu journalism  and readers that without science the language cannot have its vast expansion in the present world. His views were accepted in the Urdu world  when he got UNESCO award on his popular science writings entitled “Aaj Ki Science – Nai Roshni Nai Batein” in 1968 and the book was then prescribed as a course of  studies in Aligarh Muslim University. This was the first award by UNESCO in Urdu on science in India. This encouraged him and he devoted more time in science popularizing in Urdu. This book was translated in Punjabi also and was well applauded by the Punjabi  readers.

Lall’s other science books include “Science ki Batein” (published by Government of India, Bureau of Promotion of Urdu) “Hamarey Sciensdaan” (Our Scientists), “Science Aur Hindustan” (Science and India),  “Naya Hindustan” (New India),  “Anajon ka Badshah--Gehun” (King of Cereals--Wheat), “Babbar Sher Ki Kahani” (Story of Lion), “Atom Ki Kahani” (Story of atom),  “Hindustani Science” (Indian Science), “Gehun – Kasht aur Khoj”, “Qalam aur Awaz”, “Phal, Phool aur Anaj”, “Hum aur Hamarey Bachhey”, ‘Bachhon ki Dekhbahl”. His Urdu books “Gehun Ki Kahani”, “Hamarey Sciensdaan” were translated in Hindi and Punjabi and “Bachhon Ki Dekhbhal” in Hindi.

The NCERT honoured him for his book “Hamarey Sciensdaan” with best Urdu children’s literature award in 1988 and mattered so much as that a chapter from this innovative book  -- so far as the popularization of  science in Urdu is concerned  -- was incorporated in the NCERT  reader for higher secondary classes. He was a seasoned writer, a campaigner who always avoided controversy. The book was the first of its kind in India, which dealt with Indian scientists’ biographies viz. J.C.Bose, P.C.Ray, J.B.S.Haldane, K.S.Krishnan, B.P.Pal, M.S. Swaminathan, C.V.Raman,  Bhabha,  Meghnad Saha and Birbal Sahni  besides a full length survey and the contribution of Indians in science ranging from ancient to modern times. Due to its popularity of the subject the book has seen the ray of light in Hindi also. 

Lall’s  popular science writing in Urdu had a flavour  of  all its own. The hallmark that had made it acceptable that he used simple diction; the lucid prose, so that the common man  or the  science student can easily cope  with it. This facility characterized his writings for more than two decades. In his writings on science and related subjects, he had in fact fashioned a style of his own, creating people’s interests in dry-as-dust subjects. His approach was that of a essayist, whose write-ups imbibed with human interest and understanding  of the mental make-up of the target audience.

Lall received many awards from Government of India especially from  Ministry of Social Welfare, Ministry of Human Resources, Central Hindi Directorate (Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore) besides State Academies of  Uttar Pradesh,  Bihar, Delhi, Punjab, West Bengal and Delhi Vigyan Saraswati Award.  He was also honoured  by Fikr Taunsvi Award organized by Ghalib Cultural Academy—Urdu Organisation of South India-- Bangalore for his contributions in Urdu literature. The last honour he received from Delhi Urdu Academy for his contributions in popularizing science in Urdu in 1990, just before his death, but could not receive it personally. The Bhasha Vibhag (Language Department), Patiala also honoured him for his Urdu services. His one of the chapters on ‘lion’ entitled Sher-e Babbar,  was incorporated in a Urdu text book of Maharashtra Board for many years.

Inder Jit  Lall  joined the first Government service in the Meteorological Department, in the technical department which he could not continue for a long.  Later he joined the services in Publication Department  of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR),  remained there for three decades and  retired as Assistant Editor (English). In his capacity as technical editor of the Council, he continued to write on sundry subjects connected with   horticulture, agronomy, along with assigned features and editorial notes. 

Basically, Lall was creating to the overall and urgent  need of the developing country, the people preparing to take the quantum leap, keen to comprehend the why and how of novel high-tech and marvels of science. He did assignments for National Book Trust and Bureau of Promotion of Urdu on science topics. He translated a book on Birbal Sahni from English to Urdu for National Book Trust (NBT). He wrote a book on a popular science “Science ki Batein” for Bureau of Promotion of Urdu (BPU).  

Besides science popularizing he was also contributing light essays to Urdu journalism. His  book on light essays “Janwar Se Insaan Tak” was treated to be the best by him. One of the articles from this book was incorporated with other Urdu scholar littérateurs in an anthology brought out by Delhi Urdu Academy. His book of essays on humour titled  “Muskrahat hi Muskrahat” was the collection of  renowned writers ranging from Pitras, Kanhiya Lal Kapoor, Fikr Taunsvi , Yousuf Nazim, Mujtaba Hussain, Dalip Singh, Dr. Javed Vashisht and others. This book has also been translated in Hindi knowing that Urdu is the origin of humour literature.

His love for sufism and mystic poetry brought him more known in Urdu literature by compiling  first anthology of mystic poetry entitled “Ruhani Ghazlen”. The book covered more than hundred ghazals  with mystic colour in the poetry of the poet, which was well applauded by the lovers of literature and an ordinary man.

He also contributed in writing the biographies of different personalities in Urdu of various fields. His books “Hamarey Qaumi Hero” and “Azeem Shakhseetein” describes the contributions of  Iqbal (poet), Swami Ram Tirth (philanthropist), Mahatma Gandhi (National Leader), Birbal Sahni (Scientist), Raja Ramohan Roy (Educationist). Besides these, a  survey of other personalities who contributed in upbringing the literature  in different fields covering Aryabhatta, Sir Syed Ahmed, Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Tagore, Ghalib, Raman has made the book rich. The book “Swami Ram Tirth ki Kahani”,  was published during Ram Tirth’s centenary celebrations in India depicting therin his work of philosophy besides biography.

Inder Jit used to write short stories for different journals in Urdu and English. Many of his translations were published in different dailies and journals of that time and were well applauded. Even though he translated many Urdu short stories of different story writers and got them published in English news dailies and classic journals of repute just to know the thoughts of Urdu writers in different field of literature.  One of his popular stories ‘Red Handkerchief’ in English was prescribed as a course of studies for schools. Besides, he also translated Urdu poems and nazms in English.

Lall’s experience of English journalism for around three decades refined his sensibilities to the extent that he had been continuously writing on Urdu poets, personalities and perspective scores of literary commentaries, review of books, survey on tendencies and feature articles. He was regular contributor to literary magazine “Indian Literature” published by Sahitya Academy for surveying the developments and literary work done in that particular year. In English he also wrote short stories, poetry, biographies for all leading English dailies, magazines, Government and other journals of repute. Several  times his special articles on Urdu literature appeared in “Indian & Foreign Review”, “The Indian P.E.N.”, “March of India”, “Indian Literature” just to introduce them in the non-Urdu literary circles. His love for translations of Urdu poetry in English encouraged him to do more and some of his translation couplets on Ghalib’s poetry were translated during Ghalib’s centenary in 1969 in “Whispers of Angel” by Ghalib Academy, New Delhi.

The love for Urdu literature and poets and personalities in the language only inspired him to do some writings on them. It took him more than three decades writing for different English newspapers and others. He had deep study of the  poet and his literary work for whom he was writing. The contribution which he had done  for the Urdu in English cannot be forgotten by any one.  Being a sober in nature, he never thought  of any big shot in the Urdu literature. He admires only the work and contribution the  writer uses in writings and Lal’s intention was only to introduce and popularize  that writer in other literary worlds  than Urdu. He contributed more than three century articles for different dailies and journals during his writing era ranging the area from ‘The Tribune’ to ‘The Deccan Chronicle’ or ‘The Anand Bazar Patrika’ to ‘The Times of India’.

His special love for Ghalib brought him two books entitled “A Short Biography of Mirza Ghalib” and “Candle’s Smoke” during Ghalib’s centenary in 1969. He had also written a book on Ghalib covering therein his all literary work, letters, biography, criticism  and translations of some of his ghazals. He also compiled Prominet Personalities of Urdu in English covering literary personalities, poets, critics, biographers for introduction to English readers and have love and to know of Urdu literature.

Lall as broadcaster with AIR, for more than two decades, in Urdu and Punjabi popularized various fields such as literature, science, humour, short story and other material for the listeners in the respective languages.